80-year-old Choi Soon-hwa could become the oldest Miss Universe participant: ‘I want to stun the world’

An 80-year-old South Korean model has scripted history by becoming the oldest participant in the Miss Universe Korea pageant.

Published on: Sep 30, 2024, 15:12:13 IST

By Sanya Jain

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An 80-year-old South Korean model has scripted history by becoming the oldest participant in the Miss Universe Korea pageant. Choi Soon-hwa stands tall and proud among contestants who are young enough to be her grandchildren. Despite her white hair and octogenarian status, Choi Soon-hwa is determined to show the world that age is just a number.

Choi Soon-hwa, 80, is a Miss Universe Korea finalist (Instagram/@soonhwa01)

“I want to stun the world, like, ‘How is an 80-year-old lady so healthy? How did she maintain that body? What’s your diet?’” she told CNN on the phone ahead of the Miss Universe Korea grand finale, which is scheduled for September 30. “When you get old, you gain weight… So, I want to show that we can live healthily even when we get old.”

Dreams of Miss Universe

Choi Soon-hwa was born almost a decade before the first Miss Universe contest was held in 1952. She now stands a chance to represent South Korea in the international beauty pageant.

If she beats 31 other finalists at the national-level Miss Universe Korea pageant tonight, Choi Soon-hwa will get a chance to fight for the crown at Miss Universe as its oldest-ever participant. The 73rd Miss Universe pageant in Mexico City in November.

This is the first time that the Miss Universe pageant has lifted age and other similar restrictions on candidates. Earlier, the Miss Universe Organization mandated that only women between the age of 18 and 24 could participate. In 2024, amid calls to modernise the pageant, organisers lifted age restrictions. The ban on pregnant, married and divorced women was also lifted last year.

“Now that the age restriction has been lifted, I said, ‘I should give it a try,’” Choi told CNN. “Whether I get through or not, I was determined to try and get this opportunity,” added the granny who started modelling at the age of 72 to pay off debts.

(Also read: Miss Universe India 2024 Rhea Singha's winning moment set to Coldplay X BTS hit track)

ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Sanya Jain
Sanya Jain is an Assistant Editor with Hindustan Times Digital. She has nearly a decade of experience in covering offbeat stories that speak to the everyday experience - from viral videos to human interest copies that spark conversation. Her interests stretch across business, pop culture, social media trends, entertainment and global affairs. Before joining Hindustan Times, Sanya spent two years with Moneycontrol and five years with NDTV. She holds an undergraduate degree in English literature from St Stephen’s College, Delhi, and a master’s in journalism from the Xavier Institute of Communications, Mumbai. Sanya has a sharp eye for spotting emerging trends and looking for newsworthy angles to elevate viral posts into meaningful narratives. She was the first one, for example, to cover Narayana Murthy’s remark on 70-hour work weeks that sparked a national conversation. She is equally at ease writing about business leaders as about the common man, about issues of national importance and memes that amuse social media. Sanya enjoys speaking with content creators, newsmakers and entrepreneurs to transform everyday moments into engaging, slice-of-life stories that resonate with readers. When she is not working, Sanya can be found curled up with a good book. Born and raised in Lucknow, she has spent the last several years in Delhi. She is deeply interested in animal welfare and now spends a lot of her time running after her destructive orange cat.Read More

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